Nuptse
Mountain in Nepal
title: "Nuptse" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountains-of-nepal", "seven-thousanders-of-the-himalayas", "nepal", "climbing"] description: "Mountain in Nepal" topic_path: "general/mountains-of-nepal" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuptse" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Mountain in Nepal ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Nuptse |
| native_name | |
| photo | Nuptse, Nepal, Himalayas.jpg |
| photo_caption | Nuptse from Kala Patthar |
| elevation_m | 7861 |
| prominence_m | 319 |
| listing | Mountains of Nepal |
| translation | West Peak |
| language | Tibetan |
| location | Solukhumbu District, Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal |
| range | Mahalangur Himal, Himalayas |
| coordinates | |
| mapframe | no |
| map_image | |
| first_ascent | 1961 by a British team led by Joe Walmsley |
| easiest_route | snow/ice climb |
| :: |
| name = Nuptse | native_name = | photo = Nuptse, Nepal, Himalayas.jpg | photo_caption = Nuptse from Kala Patthar | elevation_m = 7861 | elevation_ref = | prominence_m = 319 | prominence_ref= | parent_peak = | listing = Mountains of Nepal | translation = West Peak | language = Tibetan | location = Solukhumbu District, Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal | range = Mahalangur Himal, Himalayas | coordinates = | coordinates_ref = | topo = | mapframe = no | map_image= | first_ascent = 1961 by a British team led by Joe Walmsley | easiest_route = snow/ice climb |c=努子峰 |p=
Nuptse or Nubtse is a mountain in the Khumbu region of the Mahalangur Himal, a part of the Nepalese Himalayas. It lies 2 km to the southwest of Mount Everest. The main peak, Nuptse I with an elevation of 7,861 m, was first climbed on May 16, 1961 by Dennis Davis and Sherpa Tashi. After a hiatus of almost 20 years, Nuptse became an objective of mountaineers again, with important routes being put up on its west, south, and north faces.
Name
Nuptse is Tibetan for "west peak", as it is the western segment of the Lhotse-Nuptse massif.
Geography
Nuptse lies 2 km WSW of Mount Everest. Due to the structure of the Everest Massif, Nuptse blocks Everest's view for much of the surrounding region. It is a dramatic peak when viewed from the south or west, and it towers above the base camp for the standard south col route on Everest. However, it is not a particularly independent peak: its topographic prominence is only 319 m. Hence, it is not ranked in the list of highest mountains.
The main Nuptse ridge contains 7 summits: ::data[format=table] | Summit || Elevation || Latitude (N) || Longitude (E) | |---| | Nuptse I | | Nuptse II | | Nuptse Shar I | | Nuptse Nup I | | Nuptse Shar II | | Nuptse Nup II | | Nuptse Shar III | ::
File:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|center|thumb|300px|Southern and northern climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station (the names on the photo are links to corresponding pages). rect 58 14 160 49 58 14 160 49 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzo rect 200 28 335 52 Makalu rect 378 24 566 45 Everest rect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateau rect 250 406 340 427 Rong River rect 333 149 409 186 Changtse rect 550 284 677 303 Rongbuk Glacier rect 478 196 570 218 North Face (Everest) rect 237 231 346 267 East Rongbuk Glacier rect 314 290 536 309 North Col north ridge route rect 531 79 663 105 Lhotse rect 582 112 711 130 Nubtse rect 603 232 733 254 South Col route rect 716 165 839 206 Gyachung Kang rect 882 147 967 183 Cho Oyu rect 1 1 999 661 [[File:Himalaya annotated.jpg]]
desc bottom-left
Climbing
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Everest_nubtse.jpg" caption="Everest]] to the left"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Nuptse-fromChukhungRi.jpg" caption="Nuptse from [[Chukhung Ri"] ::
Nuptse was first climbed in 1961 and subsequently climbed a few times.
- 1961 – First ascent of the North Ridge on May 16 by Dennis Davis and Sherpa Tashi as part of a British expedition led by Joe Walmsley. Tashi was the first human to set foot on the summit, while Davis waited to take photographs. Davis followed closely after Tashi. On May 17, other members of the same expedition reached the summit: Chris Bonington, Les Brown, James Swallow and Pemba Sherpa.
- 1975 – The Joint British Army-Royal Nepalese Army Nuptse Expedition in an attempt to be the second team atop Nuptse ended in tragedy with the loss of four climbers to falls: Major G.F. Owens and Captain R.A. Summerton, Lieutenant D.A.J. Brister and Rifleman Pasang Tamang.
- 1979 – Ascent of the North Ridge on October 19 by Georges Bettembourg, Doug Scott, Alan Rouse and Brian Hall.
- 1984 – First ascent of the West Ridge by Yvan Estienne, Rémi Roux, et al., an expedition led by Raymond Renaud.
- 1994 – First ascent of the south pillar of Nuptse Shar I by Frenchmen Michel Fauquet and Vincent Fine, who were stopped by the wind on the summit ridge 300 m from the summit. The climb was nominated for a Piolets d'Or.
- 1997 – Nuptse – Nup II (7742 m) – on top: Tomaž Humar, Janez Jeglič
- 2008 – Opening of the south face by Stéphane Benoist and Patrice Glairon-Rappaz; nominated for the Piolets d'Or in 2008.
- 2017 – Frédéric Degoulet, Benjamin Guigonnet and Hélias Millerioux open a route on the south face.
- 2023 – On 8 May, a team of 3 climbers from the US and 6 Sherpas were the first to reach the summit in the year. It is reported that at least 65 climbers in 6 teams have obtained permits for Nuptse.
In culture
In 1987, Sally McCoy, Director of Equipment at The North Face, an American outdoor recreation products company, was part of the Snowbird Everest Expedition. This inspired The North Face to create outerwear named after the region's peaks and glaciers. In 1992, the company introduced the Nuptse Jacket. It featured a novel baffle construction to reduce shifting of the down and to increase warmth. The Nuptse jacket in bright colours was popular in New York City in the 1990s, especially among school kids and rappers. The Nuptse line of outdoors clothing has expanded to over 60 items in 2023.
References
- (2003). "Nuptse".
- Davis, D.. (1961). "Nuptse: Part II Summit". [[The Himalayan Journal]].
- Fleming, Jonathan W.. (1976). "Nuptse Tragedy".
- "The Joint British Army Mountaineering Association and Royal Nepalese Army Expedition". Mount Everest Foundation.
- Blanchard, B.. (1 June 2023). "A Mountain Apart". [[Alpinist (magazine).
- Hall, Brian. (2022-07-21). "Epic Descent From Nuptse".
- "Piolets d'Or – 1992–2021".
- Franz, D.. (2017). "French team completes new route on Nuptse's south face".
- (8 May 2023). "HG climbers make season's first summit on Nuptse". [[The Himalayan Times]].
- Kollat, M.. (30 November 2022). "The North Face relaunches the exact replica of its most famous jacket".
- Takanashi, L.. (31 October 2018). "How The North Face Took Over '90s New York".
- (2023). "The North Face Nuptse Collection of Jackets, Vests, and More".
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